A Smile Born
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: "You know, you'd look really nice if you'd only smile." - Only rated due to my paranoia.


**Detective Conan**

**A Smile Born**

**Angst/Friendship**

**Bourbon/Akemi**

"**You know, you'd look really nice if you'd only smile." **

**(Do not own Case Closed. If I did, Tooru might kill me.)**

* * *

A Smile Born

* * *

"Akemi."

The tiny girl in question, approximately 6 years of age, turned towards her bedroom doorway. Her dark eyes were wide with curiosity, her head of ebony hair tilting to the side.

Strange. Her parents weren't supposed to be back for another half hour.

"Coming, Okaasan," she called out, getting up from her sitting position on her bedroom floor, where she'd been playing with her dolls, and made her way to the living room.

She entered the room with a skip in her step, immediately locating her parents on the couch.

Then she immediately tilted her head to the side as Elena turned to look at her.

A little boy was sitting beside Atsushi, his head of black hair hung low.

"Oh, Akemi," Elena said, forcing herself up from the couch. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Okaasan," Akemi said happily, jumping forward to hug her mother. "How's my little sister doing?" This she asked while rubbing her mother's belly.

Elena chuckled softly. "She's alright," she said, ruffling her daughter's hair. "We have someone we want you to meet."

Elena then turned back towards the little boy, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. His entire body was shaking, even though he tried to suppress it to the best of his ability.

"His name is Tooru," Elena said. "He's going to be staying with us."

"Really?" Akemi asked happily. "He's going to be staying here?"

"Yes," Elena responded. "His parents were in an accident, so we're going to be taking care of him for a while."

"What happened to them? Are they going to call once in a while?"

Neither Elena nor Atsushi answered that one.

Not even Tooru, who was fortunate enough to not hear the question.

"We can't say," Elena finally said. "And you shouldn't go asking him about his parents, alright? He's a little sensitive right now."

Akemi nodded, prompting a smile to form on Elena's face. "Alright," the latter said. "Come on. "Let's introduce you."

Akemi nodded again, taking her mother's hand as she made her way over to the couch.

"Tooru."

The child didn't respond to Elena's call, something that confused Akemi.

A sigh escaped Elena as she reached forward and touched Tooru's shoulder. "Rei-kun."

That brought a reaction out of the little boy. Instantly, he lifted his head upwards, his dark eyes peering into Elena's own. "That was weird," Akemi couldn't help but think.

"Tooru," Elena continued, placing her other hand on Akemi's shoulder, "this is my daughter, Akemi."

"Hi!" Akemi exclaimed, taking hold of Tooru's hand. "I'm Akemi. You're Tooru, right? May I call you Tooru-kun?"

"Uh...," Tooru breathed.

That was the most he uttered before turning away, his dark skin gaining a bright red tint.

"What's the matter, Tooru-kun?" Akemi asked, tilting her head to the side.

Suddenly, Tooru ripped his arm away from her and ran outside, his jet black hair hiding his face.

"Eh? Tooru-kun!" Akemi exclaimed. "What happened? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, dear," Atsushi said, standing up and placing his hand on his daughter's head. "Just...give him some space for right now. He's a little upset."

"Because of his parents?" Akemi asked, raising her head to look up to her father.

Atsushi remained silent for a short while. "Yes," he finally answered. "That's why you have to give him a little bit of time to himself."

"Okay..."

With those words, Akemi looked towards the open door, where Tooru had raced outside.

* * *

**It was always so strange. Whenever Tooru-kun was all alone, he always seemed so lonely. He never smiled, never spoke. Whenever I tried to reach out to him, he would pull away. **

**But there was one other thing about him that kept worrying me.**

* * *

Akemi slowly took care of Tooru's bruises. Her eyes were soft and watery as she cleaned a rag to place on his blackened eye. "Tooru-kun, why do you do that?" she asked. "Why do you keep getting into fights?"

Tooru's lip quivered, his now marigold bangs hiding his eyes from Akemi's watchful gaze. "Because I hate them," he said simply.

"But that's not right," Akemi stated. "That's not a good enough reason to go and get into a fistfight with your fellow students."

"It's good enough for me," Tooru said simply, turning away entirely so she wouldn't be able to look at him.

Akemi pouted. "That's stupid, Tooru-kun," she said, readying the cold rag for his eye. "You're not supposed to let them get under your skin. Even I know that much and I'm four years younger than you are."

Tooru merely grunted between his teeth.

Then Akemi let out a sigh. "Here," she said, holding the rag out to him. "Place this on your eye. Okaasan can't take care of you right now, you know."

The blond-haired child let out a low growl and reluctantly took the rag from Akemi's hand. Then he proceeded to place it up against his eye.

A brief silence enveloped the room they were in.

"You know...maybe they'd stop picking on you so much if you'd just smile once in a while," Akemi said out of the blue.

Tooru froze up. Then he turned towards her, his vision blurry because of the rag. "Wha...?"

Akemi beamed. "I'm sure you have a very nice smile, Tooru-kun," she said. "I'll bet the kids at your school pick on you because you're a Mister Grouch-A-Lot. If you smile, they might start leaving you alone."

Tooru grunted again and turned away. "Yeah, right," he said.

"It'll work," Akemi said, taking his hands like she did when they first met. "If you smile when they taunt you and leave them alone instead of attacking them, they won't see the fun in picking on you anymore. It really works. Trust me."

Tooru didn't respond to that one verbally, but inside, he was taking those words to heart.

Very close to heart.

* * *

Elena's car stopped at the school Monday morning and Tooru pushed himself out of his seat. "Now behave today, alright, Tooru?" Elena asked, though it felt closer to a statement. "I don't want to hear your teacher call me up again about your attitude."

"I will," Tooru sighed.

"And I'll be right there with you," Akemi said, sliding off of her seat and landing gracefully on her feet.

Tooru cast her a sidelong glance. One that felt so cold, Akemi nearly begged for air and warmth. She only received what she desired when Tooru turned back, adjusted his backpack and started for the school, his marigold head hung low.

"Let's just go," Tooru sighed.

"O-Okay," went Akemi.

Elena merely watched.

After all, she could do little else for the young boy in front of her.

* * *

The two children walked through the halls of the school, with only their echoing footsteps to lighten the burden of silence that had been placed on their backs. However, while Tooru could take the silence and the burden, the young girl beside him could not. Shaking her head, she looked over to him. "Tooru-kun?" she asked.  
She received no reply from the little boy, nor did she expect on. All she wished to do – and succeeded in doing – was say his name. At least it lifted her burden for a few seconds.

She could live with that.

"There you are, Zero."

But she couldn't live with that.

Instantly, she jerked her head around, failing to notice that Tooru had paused in his tracks and remained still.

Then she let out a sigh.

It was the bully that Tooru had attacked merely days earlier. It was easy to tell, seeing as how he had a black right eye. The scowl on his face certainly made it easier for her to connect the dots.

"Hey, Zero," he said. "I'm talking to you, Blondy. You still need to pay me back for this eye. My parents really gave me what for about it."

"Zero?" Akemi repeated. "Blondy? Tooru-kun, does he mean you?"

She looked over to Tooru, only to grow curious when he didn't move. He absolutely refused to even budge from where he stood.

"What's the matter, Dandelion?" the bully asked. "Afraid to turn around?"

"Would you just cut it out?" Akemi asked. "It's rude to call people names."

"Akemi-chan," Tooru piped up. "Please stay out of it."

"Huh?"

The words that Akemi spoke to him the previous week then went through his mind.

"_You know...maybe they'd stop picking on you so much if you'd just smile once in a while._"

Tooru tightened his grip on his backpack before he turned around.

Immediately, two sets of eyes widened.

Tooru...was smiling.

Not a forced smile, no, but a nice, soft, glowing smile. Like there was nothing holding him down.

* * *

**It was the first time Tooru-kun had ever smiled since I met him. And...it was pretty. He did look truly amazing when he was smiling. Like a tanned prince ready to save the fair damsel in a fairy tale. **

**His first smile. I would never forget it. Nor would I ever let him forget about it.**

* * *

"Hmm? You mean back in grade school?" 19 year old Tooru asked curiously, his phone up against his ear.

"Mmhm," went the fifteen year old Akemi on the other end. "Remember how cute you looked back then?"

Tooru let out a rather exasperated chuckle. "There she goes again," he thought. "Why does she insist that I remember that?"

"Yes," Tooru finally relented. "I remember. You took a picture of me afterwards so you wouldn't forget it."

"Nope," Akemi said. "I took the picture so that my very best friend would never forget it."

"Oh yeah," Tooru laughed. "I forgot."

"See? That's why I took the picture. Next time I see you, we should go look at them again. Just like old times."

"If by 'old times,' you mean sneaking past your sister when she's not looking just so you can take some of her old baby photos, I don't think I'd be willing to risk my neck. I haven't met her yet, but I know her reputation."

"Mo! Not like that! We don't have to risk our lives, anyway. I have the baby pictures on my cell phone."

"Ah, yes. Far less risky. Until she catches you."

"You're no fun sometimes, Tooru-kun."

Tooru let out a laugh at that one. He didn't intend it, but he couldn't help it. It just came out.

"Hey, Zero," a voice said suddenly, sending a jolt up Tooru's spine. "Who you callin'? Your girlfriend?"

"D-Date," Tooru exclaimed, pulling the phone away from his ear. "What are you doing here? I thought you were busy."

"I got off early," Date said. "So, who's on the phone?"

Without even waiting for an answer, Date pulled the phone out of Tooru's hand and held it to his ear. "Hello," he said. "This is Tooru's big brother. Who're you?"

"Date! She's going to take you-" Tooru thought with raised shoulders.

"OH MY GOODNESS! TOORU-KUN'S GOT A BIG BROTHER!?"

Akemi's cry was so loud, Date had to pull the phone away, lest he risk permanent damage to his ear.

Tooru facepalmed. "Literally..."

Date then returned the phone to Tooru. "She's got a good set of lungs," he said. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Zero."

"Get real, Date," Tooru sighed, grabbing the phone from his friend's hand. Then he held it up against his ear so he could speak to his rather flustered female friend. "Hey, Akemi," he began, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"O-Okay," Akemi stuttered. "Bring your brother with you to the Cafe Poirot this weekend. I'd love to meet him."

"A-Akemi!" Tooru exclaimed. "He's not my-"

With that, she hung up, prompting Tooru to look at the phone with a deadpanned gaze. "Brother...," he completed with a sigh.

"So, I get to meet your girlfriend this weekend, huh?" Date asked with a chuckle. "Sounds cool with me."

"Date," Tooru huffed. "For the final time, she's not my girlfriend. She's just my best friend from elementary school. Simple as that."

"So she's not your type then?" Date asked.

Tooru let his shoulders sag. There he went again. Going off about girls. At least he wasn't shy.

* * *

Akemi beamed at her best friend. Tooru was now 25 years old, stood tall and handsome, that big smile on his face remaining as strong as ever. "So, now you've got your codename?" she asked.

Tooru nodded. "Yep," he said. "Bourbon."

"Ah, your favorite drink," Akemi chuckled.

Tooru laughed and tilted his head. "I wouldn't call it my 'favorite' drink," he said. "You might have gotten me mixed up with **him** again."

"Him?" Akemi repeated curiously. "Oh. You mean Dai-kun?"

Akemi didn't notice, but the mere mention of that name prompted Tooru to grit his teeth.

"Did someone call me?"

Both Tooru and Akemi turned to the source. As if on cue, Dai Moroboshi was walking up to them, his hands in his pockets, a light smirk on his face.

Instantly, Akemi's face brightened up. "Dai-kun!" she exclaimed, racing over and wrapping her arms around his own. "It's great to see you."

"I agree, Akemi," Dai said with a chuckle. Then he looked over to Tooru, who's obvious attempt at hiding his scowl was becoming painful to watch. "And who's the gentleman over there?"

"Oh, that's right," went Akemi. "You haven't met." She then pulled Dai closer to Tooru. "Dai-kun, this is Tooru-kun, my best friend since elementary school." She looked over to Tooru. "Tooru-kun, this is Dai-kun."

"Hello," Dai said, holding his left hand out for Tooru to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you. Akemi's told me a lot about you."

Tooru didn't wish to touch the man's hand. He didn't trust him, and he was not afraid to voice it should he have to. But the fact that Akemi was looking at him, waiting for him to accept the handshake that was being offered to him forced him to swallow his pride. He forced a smile onto his face as he reached forward and took hold of Dai's hand. "And hello to you too," he began, pausing for a moment, "Rye."

Dai's eyes widened. He could sense the lack of trust flowing out of Tooru.

"That's your codename, isn't it?" Tooru asked. "Mine's Bourbon."

After those words left Tooru, Dai forced himself to regain his composure. Couldn't afford to allow Tooru to see him off-guard. "Oh, please," he said, "call me Dai. After all, we're all friends here."

"Funny. I never said I was going to be your 'friend,'" Tooru thought, forcing his smile to stay put.

"Very well, Dai-san," Tooru said. "In that case, call me Tooru."

"You got it."

Akemi could only beam with happiness.

"They're getting along," she thought to herself, forcing her giggles of ecstasy down her throat.

* * *

"Amuro-san...?"

"Amuro-san?"

"Amuro-san, are you feeling okay?"

"Amuro-niichan!"

Suddenly, Tooru opened his eyes and found himself sitting before four very worried kids.

"Huh?" Tooru thought to himself.

"Are you feeling better now, Amuro-san?" Ayumi asked. "You looked a little pale or something."

"What are you talking about?" Tooru asked with a grin.

"We asked you a question and you suddenly got lost in thought," Mitsuhiko said. "You almost looked like you had died while you were eating."

Eating?

At the mere mention of the word, he looked down to his hands.

Or rather, the table below his hands.

"That's right," he thought. "I treated the kids to lunch."

The smiles of Akemi and Date flashed through his mind again, forcing a laugh out of the dark-skinned detective, though he did his best to hide it. "I was so lost in thought, I'd forgotten all about the kids."

"Amuro-niichan, are you sure you're okay?" Conan asked. "Maybe we should just head home and give you some time to yourself."

"I'm okay," Tooru said. "I was just thinking. So, what was your question again?"

"We were just wondering why you're always smiling," Ayumi said. "It's like there's nothing that can put you in a bad mood."

"Oh, that's not true at all," Tooru said. "Lots of things can put me in a bad mood."

"Then why don't you ever get mad?" Genta asked. "How are you able to smile all the time? Doesn't it get tiring after a while?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Tooru admitted. "But," he looked out the window, towards the blue sky above; "someone told me a long time ago that she thought I looked good when I smile."

"Ah," went Ayumi. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Wouldn't that mean that it was Enomoto-san?" Mitsuhiko asked.

Tooru let out a chuckle. "No," he said. "She wasn't my girlfriend and she isn't Enomoto-san." Then he mentally added, "Though I am curious as to why you thought it was Azusa."

"Well, who is she?" Genta asked. "Do you think you can show her to us sometime?"

There, Tooru flinched. "No," he said somberly. "I can't."

"Well, why not?" Ayumi asked with a whine.

"You didn't say anything bad to her and make her not like you anymore, did you?" Genta asked.

"I don't know," Tooru said. "She passed away a while ago."

"Oh...," went Ayumi sadly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Tooru said, ruffling Ayumi's hair with a chuckle. "It's because of her that I'm able to smile all the time. She wouldn't want me to be mopey all the time."

Conan tilted his head to the side, his fingers wrapped around his drink.

"You're a strong person, Amuro-san," Mitsuhiko said, a smile appearing on his face.

The laughter of the children rang in Tooru's ears.

Tooru followed shortly after, thought he only gave a light giggle.

"Strong?" Tooru mentally repeated, looking out towards the sky again. "I wonder..."

* * *

**D.T.B: Did you guys enjoy this? If you did, leave a review. Here's hoping I didn't disappoint any fans I might have in this archive. **


End file.
